SERVICES
Training
Pinakiichi offers customizable training sessions to help new arrivals to Japan land on their best foot, and succeed in a new environment. We cover how to approach problem solving in a foreign context, navigate Japanese business culture and society, and ways to build resilience and success when a new culture presents the unexpected. Training sessions range from one hour to full day experiences, and are adaptable to specific industries and situations.
Targeted participants 1: Employees dispatched to Japan from overseas, and non-Japanese employees working in Japan
We can provide training at a basic level, such as “How to succeed in Japan,” “How can you navigate working in Japan?” We also specialize in training that provides ways for solving problems actually occurring in your company. We can respond to a wide range of requests.
Targeted participants 2: Japanese employees who work with employees dispatched from overseas
Are there any Japanese employees who are able to achieve results in a Japanese-only team, but fall short when working in a team with non-Japanese employees? Even if non-Japanese people know “how to work in Japan,” it will not improve team communication without buy-in from Japanese employees.
We can help Japanese employees to
- Be aware of the characteristics of Japanese people in comparison with other countries
- Understand characteristics of each country and culture on the team
- Discover the differences and similarities between Japan and other cultures
We develop and conduct training programs to help Japanese employees to think about how to work in a team with non-Japanese employees, with improved results. We will also ask you in advance about specific issues that have occurred in the past or are currently occurring in your company, and propose training programs that will help you solve them.
Targeted participants 3: Actual teams with a mixture of non-Japanese and Japanese employees
We plan and facilitate trainings to resolve issues that are currently occurring or are likely to occur in your field. We can also conduct interviews and surveys on issues that have arisen in advance of the training.
Targeted participants 4: Japanese employees who have been assigned overseas
We offer training programs that allow Japanese employees to think about and discuss how they can succeed overseas, and solutions to issues that tend to arise when working overseas, or that have arisen in the past.
Coaching
Cross cultural leadership coaching is based on 12 one-on-one sessions where the coachee brings current leadership issues, questions, and goals to work on with their coach. Utilizing a constructive developmental framework, the coach works with the coachee to achieve a more complex view of what is happening from a leadership and management perspective. The coachee can determine specific actions to take that will move them toward the desired state. Direct feedback is offered by the coach to help shed light on paths forward.
As a coach, Pinakiichi coaches bring the following to each coaching session.
Experience
Though Ryan grew up in a trailer home on a dirt road in Wasco, California he has found himself in board rooms of most successful global companies. He knows what it’s like to dig housing foundations in the desert, work alongside refugees and people who have been incarcerated for decades, and go Rolex watch shopping with top financial executives. Having worked and lived in Japan for 10 years, employed by the local government and private companies, and then operating his own business, the daily experience of years of cross-cultural navigation is impossible to replace with theory.
Cutting Edge Theory
Continual learning and awareness of evolving theoretical models in adult development, cultural navigation, and leadership studies provides Pinakiichi with a structure to translate experience into programs that are effective and fun for each participant. With knowledge in discovery and synthesis, we utilize best practices in filtering information so that it can be acted upon. Working in complex systems requires knowledge of models that can be applied to specific aspects of those systems. Models are useful, but incomplete, and it is important to recognize the advantages and blindspots that each model has when applying them to a specific organization. Pinakiichi combines it’s extensive experience with theories from academia, philosophy, the arts, and popular traditions to find solutions that are relevant and effective.
Person-centered Approach
Our passion is the development of each person who trusts us through our services. Each individual is different, with their own aspirations, points-of-view, values and strengths. We seek to support that individual no matter what larger system that person is operating in. Some coaching companies market themselves as a means to bring individuals into alignment with the larger organization’s values. We don’t think that’s good for either the individual or the organization. Organizational decay is the inevitable result when that type of control is assumed by those with authoritative power. The Pinakiichi coaching approach helps individuals find their way within complex systems at the organizational, industrial, and societal level. This is reflected in Pinakiichi’s strict confidentiality policy. We make coaching fun, but take the value of individual freedom seriously. There are ways to respect the culture you’re in while not allowing that culture to define you. Let’s explore those ways together.
Testimonials
Mr. A
Having worked with Ryan for more than two year, I can hear his voice when I find myself in a difficult leadership situation. I’m much better at asking myself the right questions to better understand a problem.
Mr. B
Ryan helps me see a number of perspectives when I face an important decision. Seeing things from multiple lenses prepares me for unknown reactions, both from my team and from other departments.
Mr. C
Ryan helped me prepare for a promotional interview. We first defined my leadership style, and then formed a narrative that truthfully and concisely communicated my accomplishments and vision as a leader. This resulted in a successful promotion.
Consulting
Pinakiichi works with clients to find actionable solutions to the most pressing issues. Whether it be high expat turnover, communication problems within multi-cultural teams, conflict resolution between Japanese and Non-Japanese departments, or multi-cultural team underperformance, Pinakiichi works closely with all parties involved to facilitate a new, successful way forward.
We can help you find the true cause of the problem and lead you to a solution.
There are many things that an outsider like Pinakiichi can do, that are difficult for your internal employees to do. As cross-cultural communication professionals, we can help you find positive, realistic solutions.
The Pinakiichi team has extensive experience working for and with multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Our first-hand experience with cross-cultural challenges has allowed us to view each situation from multiple perspectives.
By combining experience with best practices and evidence-based models, Pinakiichi is able to find solutions to complex situations.